Butterflies
by heyits.reagan
Summary: Cyrus is venturing into dangerous territories for the sake of standing up for his friend. Luckily for him, a certain Space Otter boy comes to his rescue.


I wanted to get into this fandom with a innocent fic. This can be platonic or romantic, whatever you wish. Next fic will be 110% romantic though cause Jonah & Cyrus is OTP (sorry Andi). ANYWAYS, if you haven't seen this show you need to WATCH IT 'cause it's very very good okay anyways thanks for reading and please review :)

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"I'm going to say something."

Buffy and Andi's eyes widen. They stare at Cyrus, wondering if they heard him right. He glances between them and nods, confirming their questioningly looks.

"Her reign of tyranny has gone on for too long," he explains, raising his eyes back to the girl in question. Amber sits on a picnic table, surrounded by girl friends as they chat and laugh. She flips her blonde hair over her shoulder as her signature confident glare sweeps across the courtyard like she's searching for the next victim to gossip about.

"You don't have to do that, Cyrus," Andi reassures him. "What she says doesn't bother me anymore."

Neither of her best friends believe her. Andi can tell by the way they toss looks of disbelief in her direction. She pretends she doesn't notice.

"She's still mean! But my parents say that somebody who is mean to everyone else is just insecure on the inside. Maybe all she needs a friend!" Cyrus explains, hope lighting up his eyes.

"She'll eat you alive," Buffy deadpans.

"Have a little more faith in me."

Buffy presses her lips into a sarcastic smile. "I would, if I didn't know you. Cyrus, you're too scared to tell a kid off when they cut line at lunch!"

"That was one time and that guy had a _tattoo_!"

Andi shakes her head. "Just let it go, Cyrus. You can't change her mind, anyways. Once a mean girl, always a mean girl."

Cyrus furrows his eyebrows. He tightens his grip on the strap of his messenger bag and pushes his shoulders back.

"I'm still saying something," he declares, walking off before he can get a response.

"Wait, Cyrus-" Andi tries, jumping up from her seat to chase after him.

Buffy grabs her arm and pulls her back to the table. "Let him go," she sighs. The girls watch him approach Amber with anticipation. "It's too late for him now."

There's an invisible bubble surrounding Amber and her friends that Cyrus doesn't realize is there until he's inside. Four girls sit at the table, and every stare is locked on him. The laughter silences abruptly when he stands in front of the table, eyes locked on Amber. Well, maybe not on Amber, exactly. He's actually looking at her nose, which is much less intimidating. At least her nose doesn't have a frosty glare that threatens to ice you to the core.

"Amber," Cyrus says, his voice wavering. He cringes inwardly. _This is such a bad idea_.

" _What_?" she hisses like the serpent she is.

"Earlier, you told Andi that her haircut makes her look like a boy. That was mean."

At the other end of the courtyard, Jonah Beck emerges from the school with a few of his friends. They're talking about something that happened in the last period. Jonah scans the patio area, searching for his girlfriend. They always eat lunch together; it's kinda their thing.

She's just stepping down from the table she was sitting on. She's talking to somebody, but Jonah can't see around her. As he nears the table, he freezes in his tracks. The person is clear in his view now.

 _Cyrus Goodman_.

Jonah likes Cyrus okay. He's kind of an awkward kid, but funny nonetheless. Cyrus is timid and shy sometimes and gets nervous easily. Jonah picked up on that the first few times they hung out.

He steps around an empty table, keeping his distance but remaining close enough to hear the conversation.

Buffy leans on Andi's shoulder curiously. "Ladies and gentlemen, Jonah Beck has joined the party."

"Why's he just standing there?" Andi wonders. "Is he gonna stop Amber?"

Amber towers over Cyrus. Her lips pucker into a taunting sneer and her eyes narrow dangerously. Cyrus wonders how she can see with those long eyelashes.

Then, her entire demeanor changes. She smiles and her eyes light up. She laughs and, if he were in any other situation, Cyrus would even go as far as to say it sounds nice.

"I was only speaking the truth," Amber states, her voice ringing with false innocence. "Short hair is for boys, you know? If you're going to dress like a girl, then you should _look_ like a girl." She sends a quick smirk at Cyrus's friends watching from afar. "I had my doubts, but I guess there _is_ a boy in your group. I wasn't sure, since it's clearly not you."

Jonah has witnessed Cyrus crumble. He's watched Cyrus completely break down on a merry-go-round at a carnival. It's an image Jonah doesn't think he'll ever be able to forget. That's why he recognizes it so quickly.

The corners of Cyrus's mouth fall. His eyes widen. His eyebrows furrow in confusion and the question gets caught in his throat. Amber smirks knowingly. Her friends exchange sly smiles. Jonah inches closer and leans against a table a few feet away.

"Wh-What do you mean?" Cyrus asks hesitantly. He looks at her for an answer, but he really doesn't want it. There are multiple things in this world that Cyrus is sensitive about, but this topic specifically hits the closest to home.

Jonah's autocorrection mistake appears in his head.

 **U R GIRLY!**

 _What if it wasn't autocorrection?_ Cyrus can't help but think. _What if he meant it?_

Jonah rocks on his heels. He knows he should stand up to her, get her to stop before she says somethings she'll regret. He knows he shouldn't let her go any further, but he can't will himself to move. What if she gets mad that he stops her? What if she starts to _cry_ again? Oh man, he hates it when she cries.

Jonah looks at Cyrus. The shorter boy is pale, much paler than he was a few moments earlier. He looks the same as he did on the merry-go-round. He looks like he's going to puke.

Jonah bites his lip. He _really_ doesn't like seeing Cyrus like that, either.

Amber takes a deep breath, ready to land the final blow. Her perfectly glossed lips turn up in a smile before she starts to speak, "Isn't it obvious? You're-"

"That's enough, Amber."

Cyrus is frozen. His heart is racing in his chest and his palms are sweaty. The view he once had of Amber is now blocked by a slightly taller boy with brown hair.

Andi and Buffy's jaws drop.

Amber blinks, then she smiles once more. "What do you mean, Jonah? I'm just talking to my friend Cyrus."

Jonah frowns. He moves his hand as he clenches it into a fist. For a brief second, his skin makes contact with Cyrus's. Jonah either doesn't notice, or he pretends. Cyrus, on the other hand, is tingling with excitement because _his hand just touched Jonah Beck's_.

"Just leave him alone, okay? He wasn't bothering anybody."

"He came up to me," she argues.

"Only because I was standing up for Andi!" Cyrus exclaims with a sudden burst of courage. The adrenaline disappears as soon as it appeared when Amber and Jonah look back at him. Amber is annoyed while Jonah is… Indifferent.

Cyrus meekly stares at the ground. "Sorry, sorry, not my turn to talk, I get it."

Jonah sighs as he looks back at Amber. She meets his gaze and speaks first, "We can talk about this later when you're feeling more like yourself, okay?" Her tone is light and sweet, but the way she touches his arm has a sinister meaning behind it. Jonah knows he's in trouble. Slowly, he nods. Amber smiles and she and her posse walk off, but not before she shoots one last glare at Cyrus.

When they're a safe distance away, Jonah turns to Cyrus. The color has returned to Cyrus's face, Jonah notes. The shorter boy looks much more calm.

"You okay?" Jonah asks.

"Besides my heart pounding from the worst confrontation of my _life_?" Cyrus questions, placing a hand over his heart to feel the rapid vibrations against his chest. He takes a deep breath. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Jonah rubs the back of his neck. "I'm sorry about her. She must be in a bad mood or something."

"Yeah. Bad mood. That's gotta be it." Cyrus forces a smile. _How is he so oblivious?_ "Thanks for sticking up for me."

"No problem, man. What are friends for?" Jonah smiles and pats Cyrus's shoulder. Cyrus beams back at him.

They split up and Cyrus walks back to his friends. There's a permanent smile on his face that won't be disappearing for a while.

" _Jonah Beck_ just stood up for me," Cyrus whispers in awe. Buffy and Andi exchange smiles and laugh. Cyrus sits next to Andi on the picnic table and recounts what just happened in his head. He looks across the courtyard and meets Jonah's eyes. Jonah smiles at the group and waves, as though he isn't awaiting the wrath of his girlfriend in a few moments.

There are butterflies in Cyrus's stomach. That single smile has sent his body in a frenzy. He doesn't know where it's coming from exactly, he just knows he doesn't want them to stop.


End file.
